3 reds & VAR drama: Arsenal loanee’s return doesn’t go to plan | OneFootball

Fabio Vieira made his expected return to the Porto starting lineup on Sunday, but the game certainly didn’t go to plan for his side.

Photo via Porto on Twitter

As had been predicted in the Portuguese media earlier in the day, Fabio Vieira returned to the starting lineup for Porto away to Gil Vicente on Sunday.

It was the Arsenal loanee’s first start in almost a month, having last made their lineup on December 21st. Ideally, it would have been a big Porto win to convince manager Vitor Bruno to keep picking the 24-year-old.

That’s not how it turned out, and Vieira’s biggest contribution was probably kick-starting a fiery evening of ill-discipline.

Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images

Porto were already 1-0 down when Vieira received a booking in the 24th minute for a foul, the first of five yellow cards in the half.

The away side equalised shortly after the break, but things didn’t stay level for long, with Gil Vicente reclaiming the lead in the 53rd minute.

The remaining 37 minutes contained four more Porto bookings and three red cards (two for Porto and one for Gil Vicente manager Bruno Pinheiro), as well as a dramatic conclusion.

Porto believed they’d scored a 91st minute equaliser, only for VAR to pull the play back for a penalty at the other end, converted by Felix Correia. Gil Vicente won the match 3-1, and Porto will carry two suspensions into their coming games.

Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images

Porto were already playing catch-up with league leaders Sporting CP, and they’ve now dropped behind Benfica as well. Perhaps more importantly for the fans, this is now a run of three straight defeats to start 2025.

With both of their cup runs at an end, and falling off the pace in the league, Porto’s season increasingly hinges on the Europa League. That’s where they’ll be in action next, facing Olympiacos at home on Thursday.

On an individual note, Vieira is now up to 20 appearances for Porto in all competitions, including 12 starts. He’s scored two goals and assisted two more.